Claustrophobic
by Kanan
Summary: Did you ever wonder what scares Alphonse Elric? Read this and see. Contains a little bit of blood mixed with tears. Gomen nasai, I'm bad at these summaries. Please read and review


Disclaimer:

I will state here and now that the series FMA, and its characters do not belong to me. I simply like the series a WHOLE lot!

Library of mini FMA shorts!

Claustrophobia

"Okay, I'll be back in a little while, boys."

Trisha Elric said, cheerfully, as she stood in front of her house with her two sons. A man was loading her luggage into a carriage. The boys' mother had to leave for a couple of days, but she was not able to bring her children with her. Ed stood with a disappointed look on his face; his head was downcast, whereas Al was almost in tears.

"Mama, do you have to go?"

"Oh… I wish I didn't, Alphonse, dear. But I promise I'll be back real soon."

She softly stroked his cheek and reached out to Ed. He came closer and she stroked his cheek, also. When their mother stopped and took a step away, Al sniffed and wiped aside his tears.

"Edward, I'm putting you in charge. Take care of your brother."

"Yes, mom."

"Do you know where the food is that I set aside for meals?"

"Yes, mom."

"Good… Now, if something bad happens, you take your brother, Ed, and go strait over to Winry's. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes…"

"Okay. I love you boys…"

She planted a kiss on each of their foreheads and then loaded into the waiting carriage and left. The brothers stood there outside their house until their mother was out of sight. Al sniffed again, and Ed looked over and smiled at his brother.

"Don't worry, Al; she'll be back before you know it!"

"Uh-huh…"

"Hey, are you hungry? I'm starving!"  
"Yeah, I am hungry."

"Come on, then! I'll make us some lunch!"

Both boys ran inside and Ed made them a sandwich each, cutting them diagonally down the middle. They sat at the table and Ed took a big bite of his. He was about to take another bite when he looked across the table and saw that his younger brother was not eating at all. Al was just staring down at his plate with an odd expression on his face.

"Go on, Al; you should eat it. It tastes good; I promise I didn't mess it up like last time!"

Al mumbled to himself and lowered his head. His arms were around his stomach. Ed leaned over the large table and looked at his brother, worriedly.

"What's the matter? Al?

"I just… feel real funny. My tummy feels funny."

"Your tummy? Do you have a stomachache?"

"No… when mom isn't here, I get a weird feeling when I'm inside- like the walls are getting closer to me…"

"I think I understand. Maybe I can help!"

Ed grabbed his and Al's plates and they went outside. They sat on a hill by their house and ate lunch. When the sun started to fade and the sky turn pinkish, the boys were still outside, relaxing in the fading warmth the day had brought. Al had long since finished his sandwich, but Ed had half of his left on the plate. He picked it up and handed it to Al.

"Here, Al. You eat it!"

"Thanks bother!"

Alphonse bit into it happily and then smiled at his brother, some of the jam was on his face. Ed got out a napkin and tried to wipe it off for him, but Al took it and cleaned himself off.

"Well, it's starting to get late. I hope mom gets to sleep okay."

"Hey, Ed. Look!"

The boy looked up and saw a blinking white light from down the road a bit. It was coming from Winry's house window. It was Morse code talk.

"What is she saying, brother?"

"Let me see… Time for dinner, you're invited over, Din's gonna eat it if we don't"

Ed laughed.

"Granny Pinako says hi, and… huh."

"What is it?"

"I dunno. She says that they got word over there that a big dog was on the loose or something, She's warning us about it."

Ed looked over at his little brother, who had stopped eating and now had a frightened look on his face.

"Ah, don't worry, Al! I'm TWICE as scary and tough as some old dog! I wont let anything happen to you, I promise!"

"Thanks, brother!"

Al finally smiled. He was happy again. Ed stood up and stretched out.

"Well, you seem to be feeling better, Al, so why don't we go over to Winry's house for some dinner? We can all play together, after."

"Could we practice our alchemy, too? I still need to get better."

"Sure! No problem! We may even be able to teach Winry a thing or two!"

Al cheered and was about to stand up like his brother was, but then he looked up and saw that his brother's expression had quickly changed from happy, to startled and then to mad and cautious.

"Brother, what is it?"

"I heard something; over there in the bushes."

Al looked also, when he heard the noises of rustling, and he stared wide-eyed at the swaying bush. The rustling was replaced by a low growling and a pair of red eyes glared out at them. The sandwich fell out of Al's lap. Ed took a defensive stance. The big dog finally showed itself. It was big and mean-looking. Ed pulled Al to his feet and the younger Elric stood behind the elder; Al grabbed onto Ed's sleeve.

"B-brother…?"

"Al, on the count of three, we'll run into the house."

"Shouldn't we go to Winry's?"

"There isn't enough time. On the count of three… One, two-"

But the dog let out a deep growl and barked at them before they counted to three. It scared them, and they immediately turned and ran towards the house, running. But Al tripped. Ed was further behind, and when he got to his fallen brother, he grabbed his arm and pulled him up. The dog was chasing after tem, and gaining great speed. They finally reached the house; when inside, Ed locked the front door and led his brother into the kitchen. They stopped when they got o the kitchen, and Al panicked, hearing the dog pounding on the door. Ed looked around for something.

"Ed, what do we do!"

Ed spotted a broom in the corner and grabbed it.

"Brother?"

"Al, we need to find you a hiding place…"

He spotted the cabinet below the sink; it had a lock on the outside. He went to it and pulled out all of its contents, and then turned to Al.

"Come on! You can hide in here!"

"I-I can't! What if I start to feel sick again, like before? I can't handle small places!"

"Here…"

Edward found a bowl and a small paper bag and showed them to Al.

"What are those for?"

"If you feel like you're going to be sick, you can throw up in the bowl, and if you can't breathe strait, breathe into this bag."

Ed demonstrated and showed his brother what to do, then put both in the cabinet.

"Brother, I don't think I…"

"PLEASE, Al? I just want you to be safe!"

The dog was still scratching on the door outside, and, eventually, Al agreed and climbed into the cupboard. Ed was about to close it until Al stopped him.

"Brother, wait! What about you! Aren't you going to hide, also?"

"No. I have to go up to the second floor and shine the light to Winry. I'll tell her we need help. But if that dog comes, I may have to fight it."

"Then let me come, too! You can't do it by yourself!"

"NO, Al! I refuse to put you in harm's way like that! I promise not to be too long. I'm gonna lock the cabinet door so you'll be safe."

"Okay. Be careful…"

"I will. I've got a broom to fight him off with. Don't be afraid, Al."

he closed and locked the cabinet and then picked up his weapon and ran up to the second floor. He shined the light towards Winry's house and used Morse code.

"Big dog is over here. Al is scared. Send help quickly! He just-"

Ed stopped his head shot up at her heard a loud bang from downstairs and gasped.

"Al…!"

Al wasn't fairing too well in the small space. He felt sick to his stomach even though he was only in there for a matter of minutes. The dog clawing at the front door wasn't helping his nerves any, either. He was getting a big headache and his breathing was quick and heavy. To him, the walls were closing in around him. The only evidence to prove hat the walls weren't indeed moving, was the small bit of light coming in through the crack in the cabinet doors. Al reached over and picked up the paper bag and started breathing into it like his brother had shown him. It was starting to help him, but then he heard a loud bang coming from the front of the house. Al jumped. It sounded as if the entire front door had been knocked down!

The dog's growls and clawed footsteps could clearly be heard entering the kitchen, and that's when Al's body tensed. Al's breath came louder and quicker and his eyes were glued to the crack in the doors. He waited, staring at the small bit of light from the outside, and then, all of a sudden, the noises stopped. He pulled the bag away from his face and stared at the door. He saw a silent shadow move across the floor in front of his hiding place, blocking out most of the light. The growling turned into quiet breathing. Al figured that the dog had left.

"…B-brother? Is that you?"

No, it wasn't. Just like that, the dog, once again, barked viciously and clawed at the cabinet door. Alphonse yelled loudly; it sounded like the door would be ripped off its hinges like the front door. Al backed up to the far end of the cabinet, trying to get as far from the dog as possible and he called for his brother, wondering why he wasn't right there with him. And right at that moment, Al heard his brother run into the kitchen and distract the dog.

"Stay away from him, you beast!"

Ed hit him with the broom. The dog went away from where Al was, and the scared boy heard several noises from him brother, outside. He got the courage to move to the cabinet doors and looked through. He could just barely see his brother, holding the broom, and the dog was slowly getting closer to him. He hit the dog with the broom again, and the dog growled, angrily, again moving towards Ed as he backed away from where Al was hidden.

"That's right, come and get me! Come on! I'll make you wish you never came here! Try to hurt my little brother and I swear I'll hit you into next week!"

That's when the dog followed Ed out of Al's line of sight. The boy tried to find another way to see his brother, but there weren't any other places to look through. There were only the shadows on the wall opposite the cabinet where Al could see Ed and the dog. He pushed on the doors a little, maybe hoping that the dog has loosened them so he could get out, but they wouldn't give. Al called to his brother, but he didn't answer. All Al heard was another sound and a muffled growl.

"Hey! Let go of that, you dumb mutt! Let GO!"

Then there was a loud crack. Al gasped. What was that! Was Ed hurt? No, it sounded like the broom breaking in half, Al thought. When it broke he also heard his brother fall down, and in the shadows, he saw that the dog had pounced on Ed. Al heard claws rip and tear, and some painful grunts from Ed, but the elder brother managed to hold the dog's teeth and head back with what was left of the broom. Al covered his ears, hearing Ed wrestle with the big dog. And just when he thought his brother was a goner, he heard other footsteps run into the kitchen and a metal object slammed down on the dog's head. He lifted his head as he heard Winry and Pinako's voices.

"Ed!"

"Get off of him! Leave the boy alone!"

They kept hitting it, Winry with a wrench and Pinako with an Automail arm, until the dog whimpered and ran out of the house.

"Ed, are you all right?"

"Yeah…"

"It hurt you! Look, you've got scratches everywhere!"

Al was bawling now, in the cabinet.

"Alphonse, where is he?"

"Oh-no! Al?"

Ed quickly ran to the cabinet, dropping o his knees in front of it. He could hear his scared brother inside. His fingers fumbled with the lock, but when he finally got it undone and swung the doors open, his brother fell into his arms. He wrapped his arms around Ed's waist as his body was wracked with sobs. He cried into his brother's shirt, and Ed set a hand on Al's head, soothing the boy.

That night, the brothers stayed at the Rockbell house. Ed had several small bandages on his body, including one on his cheek and a could on his neck and chest, from the dog's attack. He shifted in his sleep, unconsciously scratching at his bandages. He was lying on his said, until a quiet noise awoke him.

"Al… is that you?"

He looked over to the next bed, but his brother wasn't there. He quickly got up and looked around the messy covers. Nothing. He looked around the room, calling quietly for his brother when a noise from underneath the second bed got his attention. Ed got on the floor and looked under Al's bed, and there he was, curled into a little ball.

"Al? What are you doing under the bed?"

"I couldn't sleep… I'm too scared."

"About what? Winry said that the dog got caught already, so he wont come after you ever again!"

"But it caused so much trouble and it made a mess of…"

"Sure, it made a mess of the front door and mom's broom, but we can use alchemy to fix them tomorrow. Mom wont even know the difference!"

"But it HURT you, Ed! Look at you!"

"A few scratches here and there, that's all. It's not life-threatening or anything- Granny Pinako said so, herself!"

"…But… I thought you were going to die…I thought I was going to lose my big brother…!"

Ed frowned, seeing his brother had started to cry again. He slowly climbed under the bed with his brother and he hugged him.

"I am NOT going to die, Al… and you wont die, either. Now, come on. You know you're claustrophobic, so you shouldn't be under here."

Al shook his head. Ed frowned again.

"I wish mom was here…"

"So do I , Al… So do I."

"Mom will always be here for us…"

That day was only a start of the boys' great pain. Soon, they lost their mother to an illness that neither of them had previously known about. As the two stood there at her grave, even Ed was crying a little. Al looked up to the gravestone one more time, but he was overwhelmed with a weird feeling. His vision blurred and he felt as if he was back in that cabinet, all alone. The wooden walls were closing in on him. But soon, the walls seemed to change, and instead of a cabinet, he was encased in a coffin. There was absolutely no light like there was in the cabinet. He thought he felt like their mother had, being lowered into a grave. The image of his crying brother on the outside flashed in his mind. Ed was covered with blood, and wasn't all there. Al pounded on the cover as the image of his faded away.

"No! Let me out, please! Brother! I'm not dead! I'm not dead! Brother, save me!"

Al closed his eyes as tears began to stream down his face freely. He pounded on the top again, but this time, instead of a wood sound, his fists against the top sounded like metal. Al opened his eyes, and saw, not wood, but metal. An armor suit…

"Noooo!"

Present time -

Al immediately jolted up from his "sleep", breathing heavily. It echoed through his still-armor body.

"Al…?"

Al looked down, and saw his older brother sitting next to him on the bed, his real hand on his arm.

"Brother…"

"I'm here, Al. Was it one of those dreams again?"

"Yes…"

Al looked down as Ed sighed one of his sad sighs.

"I just couldn't let you die on me like that. Al… I'm sorry I put you in that body, and I'm sorry I put you at risk… but I promised I'd get your body back, and I will."

"I believe you. It's okay. At least…I don't feel so claustrophobic anymore. Well- all except the time you and Armstrong put me in the storage part of the train that time!"

Ed laughed, and then looked up at his younger brother. He gave Al a small hug, and stayed with his brother the rest of the night."


End file.
